Egg washing machine



March 20, 1945. J. R. BAYLES EGG WASHING MACHINE Filed March 8, 1943INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 20, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE2,371,867 EGG WASHING MACHINE John It. Bayles, Clay Center, Kans,assignor to Industrial Patents Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporationof Delaware 3 Claims.

This invention relates'to a washing machine and more particularly to amachine for washing and scrubbing an object having a generally sphericalshape such as an egg, an orange, or other article that may be rolledaround to expose various areas of its surface.

It is an object of this invention to provide a washing andscrubbingmeans for cleaning the surface of a spherical object.

It is another object of this invention to provide a machine for washingeggs.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved brushassembly structure for a washing and scrubbingmachine'.

Still another object is to provide an improved conveyor structure fordelivering the object through the machine.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine partly broken away; I

Figure 2 is a plan view of the machine shown in Figure l; and

Figure 3 is a section taken on line 3--3 of Figure, 1.

In the past it has been proposed to wash generally spherical objects bypassing them continuously through successive stages of washing andscrubbing, spraying, and drying means and the present invention is animprovement on this type of machine. As will be seen below, a tank ishere provided forv submerging the articles ina suitable washing'fiuidand conveying means continuously drive the articles through the tankwhichis provided with brushing means disposed in a position tothoroughly scrub the articles. The spherical objects are then lifted, bythe conveyor, out of the washing fluid and carried into ,a spraychamber, where the surfaces of the objectsareflushed with a rinsingfluid, and after the flushing fluid is drained off, the objects arecarried into a suitable drying chamber to remove the fluid remaining onits surface.

In Figure 1, a tank I is shown, which is provided to hold any suitablewashing fluid and an endless conveyor Hisnrounted within the tank sothat during normal operation, substantially the entire length of itsupper run passes through the body of washing fluid. The washing fluidmay comprise any suitable solution for loosening the type of dirt on thesurface of the-object being scoured and. the conveyor is designed tocarry the object at least partially submerged in this fluid so that theobjects will soak in the washing fluid and to insure that a largequantity of washing fluid will become entrained with the objects pearbelow.

As the objects progress from the entrance end of the tank toward theexit end adjacent roller l3 they pass under a series of scrubbingbrushes [4 which cooperate with the washing fluid to agitate the fluidagainst the surface of the object whereby all of the adhering dirtparticles are :"removed. The brushes are pivotally mounted at theirforward ends about a bearing l5 and a series of laterally disposedbrushes may be carried by the bearing which in turn is carried by a walll6 as best shown in Figure 3. The bearings i5 are mounted in the wallsuch that the lower- -most edge of the brushes may contact the surfaceof the belt I I with the brush being disposed at a relatively steepangle and if necessary the brush may be weighted to insure that it willalways fall to this position in order to engage an object in passingthrough the machine. The brushes are individually lifted from theirinclined positions to a substantially horizontal position by the objectswhich pass therebeneath.

The wall I6 is provided along its lower edge with a pair of skirtmembers I? and i8 spaced apartto fit overthe side wall of the tank l0and removably. fixed to the inner skirt H are brushes 19 which form theside walls of the tunnel.

through which the objects pass.

The brushes l4 forming the roof of the tunnel, as. above explained, arenormally disposed with their lower ends engaging the conveyor belt andthe lower face 20 of the brush makes an acute angle with respect to theface of theconveyor as it moves forwardly. At the pivotally mounted endof each of the brushes I4, the bristles forming the under surface 2| arecut away to provide a short planar section disposed at a less acuteangle with respect to the conveyor for initially engaging the objects asthey are driven through 'the washing tank I0. With this construction thespherical object passing along through the washing bath on the conveyor,will engage either the brushes [4, or both the side brushes l9 and thebrushes M to be thoroughly scrubbed. The brush It should be mounted,dependingon the diameter of the objects such that they will engage theundercut forward surface of the brushes initially whereby the objectsaremade to lift the individual brushes contacted, and as the conveyorcarries the objects along, the brushes will be lifted to substantially ahorizontal position. The

brushes ll are weighted to engage the objects with sumcient pressure tothoroughly scrub their surfaces. The objects pass beneath successivegroups of laterally disposed brushes H which substantially cover theconveyor, and regardless of the relative positions of the objects on theconveyor they will be thoroughly scrubbed during their passage throughthe washing tank.

As the objects approach the exit end of the washing tank, the conveyorll passes from under the last group of brushes II to carry the objectsupwardly to the roller l3. The uppermost edge of roller i3 is disposedabove the water level of the washing fluid maintained in the washingtank and as the object passes uphill with the conveyor, the excesswashing fluid is rapidly drained The objects are then delivered onto abridge 39 with sumcient inertia that they carry onto a conveyor 3!supported on rollers 32 and 33. The roller 82 is disposed atapproximately the same level as the roller 13 so that the objects maypass gently from the bridge 30 onto the conveyor 3|.

The conveyor carries the objects through a showering chamber 34 and aflushing fluid is there sprayed onto the objects to remove any washingfluid carried over from the washing tank. The spray means are operatedunder pressure and serve also to flush of! any foreign particlesadhering to the surface of the object. As the objects are carried alongby conveyor 3! the flushing fluid is drained-rapidly on of thearticleand the catch basin disposed'around the conveyor 3i is arrangedto immediately carry oil the fluid falling from the conveyor 3i. Theobjects are driven forwardly from the spraying chamber through a dryingmeans and preferably, a chamber 35 is provided through which warmed airis circulated. A bathe 38 may be disposed horizontally within thechamber 85 and heating and circulating means 3'! may be disposed withinthe air passage thus provided to circulate warm air as indicated by thearrows. The chamber 35 shall be of such length that the objects will becompletely dried as they issue from the end of this,

chamber. Suitable collecting means may be provided at the end oi. theconveyor Ii to receive the cleaned objects.

The operation of this machin has been fully described above and it willbe seen that objects pass from the inlet end of the machine successivelythrough a washing bath having scrubbingmeans cooperating with a soakingbath to thoroughly wash and scrub the objects. The brushes are arrangedabove the conveyor to keep the ob- .jects submerged sufliciently to becontinuously soaking, and to pick up the washing fluid. The

theobjects. It will be remembered that the con-' veyor II is supportedfrom the two rollers i2 and IS, the latter of which lifts the conveyorabove the level of theliquid in the tank. Therefore,

I in order to force the objects under thefluid to effect a soakingthereof, this construction has been provided. The conveyor thus runsunder the fluid; for most of its length and emerges only at mountingmeans for all the brushes has been provided to permit a ready removal ofthe entire brush assembly for cleaning. When a given set of brushes havebeen used until clogged, it is only necessary to slip off the one brushassembly and position another over the tank. By reason of thisconstruction, the change maybe accomplished with a minimum loss of timeand the machine need not be thrown out of operation for any great lengthof time. The top brushes as well as the side brushes may then be cleanedas a unit by pressure sprays to ready them for the next run.

The description given above refers to the preferred embodiment of thisinvention but it is quite probable that many modifications will occur tothose skilled in the art. It is contemplated that all such modificationsshall be comprehended within the scope or the following claims.

I claim:

1. A washing machine for objects'having a generally cylindrical shapeand carrying a type of dirt which becomes relatively gummy upon beingloosened from the object, said machine including scrubbing means and atank for containing a washing fluid, said scrubbing means taking theform of a plurality of rows of brushes for engaging the objects to scourthe gummy dirt from the surface thereof, a conveyor to carry the objectsthrough a fluid disposed in the tank in such a. manner that the objectsare made to contact the brushes, said tank having side walls extendingabove the plane of the upper surface ofthe conveyor, unitary mountingmeans for all of the brushes, said mounting means having side wallmembers provided with skirt means at their lower edges, and said wallsof the mounting means being adapted to be interfltted with the sidewalls of the tank by having the skirt means straddle upper edges of eachof the side walls of the tank, whereby the unitary mounting means may bequickly removed from the tank when the the end of its forward run. Theconveyor then flows upwardly to carry the eggs or other objects beingwashed up to the bridge :0 over which they pass to the conveyor 3i. Theobjects are then brushes become filled with the gummy dirt and a cleanset of brushes afiixed to the tank walls in operative position l 2. Awashing machine for objects having agenerally cylindrical shape andcarrying a type of dirt which becomes relatively gummy upon beingloosened from the object, said machine including scrubbing means and atank for containing a washing fluid, said scrubbing means taking theform of a plurality of rows of brushes for engaging the objects to scourthe gummy dirt from the surface thereof, a conveyor to carry the objectsthrough a fluid disposed in the tank in such a manner-that the objectsare made to contact the brushes, saidtank having side walls extendingabove the plane of the upper surface of the conveyor, unitary mountingmeans for all of the brushes, said mounting means having side wallmembers provided with skirt means at their lower edges, said brushesbeing hung from cross-members fixed between said wallsof .the mountingmeans to extend into the tank to engage and ride over the objectspassing through the machine,

and said walls of the mounting means being adapted to be interfittedwith the side walls of the tank by having the. skirt means straddle pperedges of each of the side walls of the tank, whereby the unitarymounting means may be quickly removed from the tank when the brushesbecome filled with the gummy dirt and a, clean set of brushes aifixed tothe tank walls in operative position.

3. A washing machine for objects having a generally cylindrical shapeand carrying a type of dirt which becomes relatively gummy upon beingloosened from the object, said machine including scrubbing'means and atank for containing a washing fluid, said scrubbing means taking the thebrushes, said tankhaving side walls extend-' ing above the plane of theupper surface of the conveyor, unitary mounting means for all of thebrushes, said mounting means having side wall members provided withskirt means at their lower edges, said brushes being pivotally hung fromcross-members fixed between said walls of the mounting means to extendinto the tank to engage and ride over the objects passing through themachine, and said walls of the mounting means being adapted to beinterfltted with the side walls of the tank by having the skirt mean'sstraddle upper edges of each or theside walls of the tank, whereby theunitary mounting means may be quickly removed from the tank'when thebrushes becomefilled with the gummy dirt and in operative position.

a clean set of brushes aflixed to the tank walls

